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Thursday, October 17, 2013

Yummies Soul Food to Reopen Over a Year After Devastating Fire

The chicken and dumplings at Yummies was one of our 100 favorite dishes. | Robin Wheeler

Yummies Soul Food(2800 Olive Street; 314-696-2444) is finally reopening over a year after a fire destroyed its building. The restaurant had just relocated a month and a half earlier from 3149 Shenandoah Avenue in Compton Heights. At the time, owner Jacqueline Phillips told us she wanted to get back to work as soon as possible.

That day is finally upon us -- Yummies will reopen on Saturday, October 19.

"Our goal this time around is to just keep satisfying our customers with the home-style feelings," she tells us.

Yummies will have a similar menu with all the Southern soul-food favorites, but it will also add some more traditional American items like cheeseburgers, onion rings and fried pickles partly in response to customer requests.

The interior will have a Michael Jackson theme, even though much of the memorabilia burned in the fire. Phillips says some of it is from her personal collection and some people have given to her. She says she has a lot of collectable items and even some of Jackson's clothing.

A new feature for Yummies is delivery "anywhere in St. Louis" and shuttles to downtown. Phillips says the philosophy for Yummies comes from her grandmother, "who never met a stranger."

"It's the same way here. Everyone's always welcome," she says. "We want people to feel like part of the family and enjoy themselves while they're eating. And hopefully this time next year we'll be opening a Yummies 2!"